Utility knifes may be designed in a variety of configurations and include any number of features to improve the safety and ergonomics of the tool. One feature of a utility knife is a cutting blade that can be retracted into the body of the utility knife to improve safety. However, the cutting blade of currently available utility knives is not retracted until a user releases or retracts the button or other actuator that is used to extend the cutting blade. This creates a safety hazard, as the cutting blade remains extended even after the cutting blade is lifted from the cutting surface. Furthermore, the design of traditional utility knifes is such that the cutting blade is only extended when a button or other actuator is pushed toward the end of the utility knife from which cutting blade extends. However, such a design is not ideal from an ergonomic perspective as it requires a user to stretch their thumb or finger to extend the cutting blade out of the body of the utility knife. Given the fact that utility knifes use a pulling motion to make a cut, this requires a user to extend and hold their thumb or finger in one direction while pulling their hand in the opposite direction, thereby creating a situation where the blade extending motion is in the opposite direction of the cutting motion. This motion can cause excessive fatigue and stress on hand and fingers, which may weaken grip and lead to unsafe use of the utility knife.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a utility knife that is configured to both automatically retract the cutting blade when the cutting blade is lifted from the cutting surface and extend the cutting blade when a button or other actuator is pulled toward the opposite end of the utility knife from which the cutting blade extends, thereby allowing the blade extending motion and cutting motion to be in the same direction. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be explained and will become obvious to one skilled in the art through the summary of the invention that follows.